Non-Volatile Memory Health Checks Using Predetermined Data Patterns

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for determining the health of non-volatile memory devices in SSDs are inefficient, consuming significant controller resources and introducing latency, as they require comprehensive system-level monitoring of all devices, which affects performance.

Innovation Solution

Individual non-volatile memory devices perform their own health checks using a predetermined data pattern, reporting operational status to the memory controller, thereby reducing the need for extensive controller involvement and enabling parallel health monitoring.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If comprehensive system-level monitoring is performed by the controller to determine health of all non-volatile memory devices, then health detection accuracy is improved, but controller resource consumption increases and latency is introduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehealth detection accuracyVSAvoidcontroller resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Each non-volatile memory device performs its own health check by comparing a predetermined data pattern with data read from its data chunk, eliminating the need for the controller to perform comprehensive monitoring of all devices. The device independently determines its operational status and reports only the health indication to the controller,实现 self-service health monitoring

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The health monitoring function is extracted from the controller and transferred to individual non-volatile memory devices. Each device independently performs read operations, data comparison, and health determination, separating the monitoring burden from the central controller and reducing its resource consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Measurement precision

If comprehensive system-level monitoring is performed by the controller to determine health of all non-volatile memory devices, then health detection accuracy is improved, but performance latency increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehealth detection accuracyVSAvoidmonitoring latency

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Each non-volatile memory device performs its own health check by comparing a predetermined data pattern with data read from its data chunk, eliminating the need for the controller to perform comprehensive monitoring of all devices. The device independently determines its operational status and reports only the health indication to the controller,实现 self-service health monitoring

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Health checks are performed periodically or on-demand based on wear level thresholds rather than continuously. The controller can initiate health checks at specific intervals or when wear indicators suggest potential issues, reducing unnecessary monitoring operations and associated latency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

3Productivity

If individual non-volatile memory devices perform their own health checks using predetermined data pattern, then controller resource consumption is reduced and parallel monitoring is enabled, but health detection precision may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemonitoring efficiencyVSAvoidhealth detection accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

Each non-volatile memory device performs its own health check by comparing a predetermined data pattern with data read from its data chunk, eliminating the need for the controller to perform comprehensive monitoring of all devices. The device independently determines its operational status and reports only the health indication to the controller,实现 self-service health monitoring

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Each non-volatile memory device performs health monitoring independently using its own local resources and data. The predetermined data pattern is specific to each device's data chunk, allowing localized health assessment that maintains accuracy while enabling parallel operation across multiple devices without controller bottleneck

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS20250378900A1Determining health of a non-volatile memory device based on a predetermined data pattern

Publication Date: 2025.12.11 MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC

AI summary

In some implementations, a non-volatile memory device may write a first set of values, indicated in a write command, to a first data chunk of the non-volatile memory device, and may further write a second set of values to a second data chunk; perform, based on receiving a health check command, a read operation to read particular data from the second data chunk; determine a measure of variance between the second set of values and the particular data read from the second data chunk of the non-volatile memory device; and output, to a controller of a storage device that includes the non-volatile memory device, a health indication of the non-volatile memory device based on the determined measure of variance between the second set of values and the particular data read from the second data chunk of the non-volatile memory device.